


Jesse James Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

by Lannister418



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Clint Is a Good Bro, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:07:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9725675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lannister418/pseuds/Lannister418
Summary: Meet Jesse ‘Yeah, that’s my real name’ James, freshly graduated S.H.I.E.L.D. Field Agent and newly appointed Avengers Auxiliary as he encounters the team he’ll be supporting and gets his first introduction to the eccentric and unusual collection of individuals he must work with.The stories are set in a Post Age of Ultron, non-canon compliant AU where Pietro lives and the Civil War may never happen. A collection of one and two shots following the adventures and misadventures of the young Agent James as he gets to know the team, finds out what an Avengers Auxiliary is expected to do, and become an integral part of their lives.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some whump, slash, angst and fluff will be scattered throughout and the overall rating is M for Mature. Appropriate trigger warnings will be included where necessary.  
> All Marvel and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters are copyright to Marvel, Disney and ABC and their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> Email addresses are fictitious  
> Reviews, comments and story prompts welcome

 

Every institution has its traditions and the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division Field Operations Training Academy, FieldOps for short, was no different.  The Assignment Rosters for each year’s graduating class were pinned up in the main gymnasium at 0730 and the doors opened at 0800 to admit the throng of anxiously waiting new agents.  Scores of black-clad young men and women jostled with each other to find their names and first assignments on the long sheets of paper headed with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Eagle.  Reactions ranged from “Yessss!!!”, with accompanying fist-pump; through “Awwww Shiiiit!” to “Where the fuck is that?”

At 6’3, and a lean, muscular 195lbs, newly graduated Agent Jesse James easily shouldered his way through the crowd to the list marked ‘Ja – Je’; running his finger down to ‘James, Jesse’. He froze and his bright blue eyes widened in astonishment

“Ho. Lee. Shit!”

###

“They’re sending you there?” exclaimed his friend, Cassie, in amazement as they had coffee in the canteen.  She was in the class below him and had another year to go before facing the Assignment Day ordeal “What did you do? Scratch Lola or something”

They both looked up as Instructor May approached their table and handed a slim, brown, envelope to Jesse

“Report to Captain Rogers in the Avengers Compound at 0700 Monday morning” she said “and Cadet Sanders, contrary to what you may have been told; assignment to Avengers Auxiliary Duty is not a punishment detail.”

She glanced at the young agent with the shadow of a smile on her face

“Unless you did scratch Lola, of course…”

###

Steve Rogers was just finishing his early morning run as he heard a motorcycle pulling up in the car-park.  The sound of the engine seemed very familiar.  Jogging round to the front he saw a tall, black-haired, young man in jeans and leather jacket taking off his helmet and unstrapping a holdall from the back of a machine that he recognized instantly

“Hey son!” he called out “That an Indian Chief?”

“Sure is” replied the young man proudly, there was a strong hint of West Virginia in his accent “1940, found her rusting in a scrapyard, restored her myself.”

He turned and, realising who he was speaking to, snapped instantly into a sharp salute

“Agent Jesse James reporting for duty. Sir!”

Steve laughed and shook his head

“This isn’t the Academy any more, you don’t have to do that” he paused “Jesse James? For real?”

Jesse grinned slightly, if he had a dollar for every time he told this story…

“My Dad’s an Old West enthusiast, sir” he explained “Told my Mom they’d keep having sons until she let him call one Jesse”

“And did it work?” asked Steve.  The young man shrugged

“Three older brothers, three younger sisters, sir! I kinda got lost in the middle”

Steve seriously doubted that, the kid was taller than him and as broad in the shoulder.  Seemed pretty good natured too, maybe this one would last the course.  He turned his attention back to the bike

“You do all this yourself?” It took an effort of will not to run his hand along the gleaming paintwork and polished chrome. “Original parts?”

Jesse nodded, quietly proud of the attention his baby was getting from Captain America of all people.

“Yes sir” he told him “Took me a while but there’s a dealer in Kansas City helped me source a lot of them.  Take a closer look if you want.”

“Thanks” Steve hunkered down and examined the engine “I rode an Indian 340-B during the war”

“Same basic design but without the fenders” Jesse said “What do you ride now?”

Steve turned to answer him but was cut off the arrival of a tall, African American man in running gear.

“Hey Steve, we gonna get coffee?” the newcomer asked with a broad smile “Or shall I just distract the kid while you make off with his bike?”

He held out his hand to Jesse

“Sam Wilson, you must be the new agent”

Jesse took his hand and shook it firmly

“Agent Jesse James, sir! Honour to meet you.”

“Sam’ll do fine, we ain’t that formal round here” he laughed, then paused.  Steve and Jesse could both see the inevitable question forming.

“Why don’t we wait till breakfast?” suggested Steve “Then you can explain to everyone at once, save you a lot of jaw-ache”

He patted Jesse on the shoulder

“Let’s go get some coffee, then I’ll show you where you’re bunking.”

The three men headed across to the main building, Steve casting the odd longing glance back at the Indian Chief.

The ‘Common Room’, as Steve described it, was a large open-plan living and dining area with a galley-style kitchen where a slim redhead in shorts and a white t-shirt was making coffee.  Steve put his arms around her and kissed her gently on the lips

“Hey baby!” he said fondly “You’re up early”

“I heard we had a new gang-member turning up.  I wanted to meet him before he got too traumatised” She extended her hand “I’m Natasha, Steve’s wife, don’t call me Mrs Rogers.”

“Please to meet you… errr… Miss Natasha” said Jesse, shaking her hand “I’m Jesse, Jesse James.  I’ll tell the story later”

Her smile broadened

“Oh, I love your accent! It’s like dark chocolate…” she laughed as he blushed and glanced down.  He had short-cropped curly black hair and very bright blue eyes; shyness in a handsome man was something she always found endearing.  It was probably the thing that first attracted her to Steve “I’m sorry, Jesse, I can be a bit direct at times, you’ll get used to it.  Grab yourself a mug, coffee’s almost ready.”

**_Darcy’s going to eat him alive_** she Signed to Steve as Jesse took a mug from the rack

“Who’s Darcy?” asked Jesse.  It was Natasha’s turn to blush

“Just our resident she-lecher, she’s quite harmless really. You Sign?” The young man smiled

“My baby sister Stacy was born deaf” he explained “We probably Sign as much as speak at home, that way she never feels left out of anything.”

“That is the sweetest thing…” said Natasha turning to Steve and Sam with a smile “We can keep this one.”

###

“Woof!” growled Darcy as she leaned on the kitchen worktop, staring through the glass doors at the young man talking to Steve in the lobby “Who ordered hunky with extra gorgeous?”

“Don’t drool on the baby agent” chuckled Tony, popping a handful of blueberries into his mouth “You’ll get his nice new combats all soggy!”

“Do you think he’s single?” she pondered aloud.  Tony closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

“I’m sensing… he’s a serial bigamist with a swathe of bastard children from Scranton to Burlington” he opened his eyes and dropped his hands with an amused sigh “How the hell should I know, Lewis?”

“You could find out” she suggested.  Tony raised his eyebrows

“Darcy Lewis!” he exclaimed in mock horror “Are you seriously suggesting I should hack S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel files to determine that young man’s relationship status, solely so you know whether it’s safe to board him amidships and plunder his innocence like some female Blackbeard?”

“Yup!” replied Darcy “And no-one with an ass like that is innocent.”

“I am uncertain how the development or tone of the gluteus maximus muscle can be read as indicative of an individual’s moral or ethical qualities” mused Vision  “although it does suggest a high degree of discipline and dedication in the pursuit of physical excellence with the possible awareness of its aesthetic impact on the viewer.”

The Vision didn’t need to eat, but the breakfast gathering was an important social ritual for the team and he made a point of attending it without fail. 

“That’s what I said” insisted Darcy, taking another bite of bagel.

“He seems nice” said Wanda, grabbing a handful of blueberries off Tony and sprinkling them over her muesli; the sound of Steve’s laughter could be heard from the lobby “I think you should try not to be rude to him…”

“But Wanda!” protested Tony “We’re always rude to people we like!”

“Oh, then you must love me, Stark!” retorted Clint from behind his paper “Should I warn Laura not to expect me home this weekend?”

“Pigeon, don’t mock our special thing!” pouted Tony “It takes time and effort to build this level of intimate loathing”

He turned to Wanda and hissed in a stage whisper

“He’s sticking his tongue out at me, isn’t he?”

“Probably” mumbled Wanda around a mouthful of blueberries and muesli. “And perhaps you should make sure this new agent knows we like him before you start being rude”

“Wanda’s right” said Natasha, leafing through her magazine “Jesse’s a really nice guy and it’s his first day so try not to scare him too much.”

“Oh, my god! Natasha likes him” laughed Tony “I’m scared already.”

“Jesse?” chuckled Clint, still intent on the sports section “What’s his last name, James?”

There was a moment of silence from Natasha and Clint dropped the paper into his lap

“You gotta be shitting me, Tash!”

“It’s true, Clint” said Sam with a grin, ladling more scrambled eggs onto his plate “We got us a real-life Jesse James!”

At that point Steve and Jesse came into the room

“Everyone!” Steve called out “I’d like you to say hello to our new Auxiliary, Agent Jesse James.”

“Hey Jesse” said Clint with a friendly wave “Where’s Frank?”

“With the Air-Force stationed at Manila” Jessie replied “He’s my eldest brother”

Clint laughed at Steve’s expression of disbelief.  Jesse turned to him with a slight grin

“Dad got that one past Mom without her noticing, he’s kinda sneaky sometimes. She drew the line at Zerelda for any of the girls though”

“Sweet-looking bike, kid” commented Tony “Let me know if you ever want it souped up…”

“Don’t!” warned Clint, glaring at Stark “He ‘fixed’ my mower and the thing damn near broke the land speed record next time I fired it up”

“Do you work out?” Darcy asked, observing the way Jesse filled his S.H.I.E.L.D. issue black T Shirt “I bet you work out.”

“Meet Darcy Lewis” said Steve, halfway between amusement and annoyance “Our SciOps Intern and sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.” 

Steve sighed

“Darcy, his eyes are further up!”

“I know” replied Darcy, still happily staring at the solid curve of the young agent’s chest

“It’s just her way of being friendly, like when a dog humps your leg.” interjected Tony “If she starts doing that just bop her on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.”

Jesse realised they weren’t really talking to, or even at, him.  The acknowledgement of his presence was just slipping seamlessly into an ongoing routine of familiar banter.  It dawned on him that he was the new kid again, and had a whole world of unwritten rules and relationships to learn about if he wasn’t going to end up flat on his ass.  He began to understand what the Academy instructors meant when they said that graduation was just the start of the training process. 

“Scott and Bucky are off on missions and Thor’s on holiday in Iceland with Dr Foster; Dr Banner’s doing some research back at Stark Tower” Steve explained “You’ll meet them in due course.  I think that’s almost everyone…”

There was a flash of blue and silver. Jesse jumped in surprise as an athletic young man about his own age, with streaky blond hair, appeared in front of him, winked, went ‘beep beep’ and disappeared in another flash.

“Oh man! He likes you!” laughed Sam, pouring them both coffee.

“Hey Roadrunner! Back off!” yelled Darcy at the young man now waving at her from the far side of the lobby “I saw him first”

Steve patted the bewildered agent on the shoulder

“It’s not always this bad” he assured him

“No” said Natasha, not looking up from her magazine “usually it’s worse”

She was annoyed with Darcy.  Fair enough, Jesse was a very attractive young man by anyone’s standards, but the young SciOps intern was going way beyond the odd admiring glance.  She blatantly ogled him in a way he was clearly uncomfortable with; and either too polite, or more likely too insecure in this new environment to say anything.  Steve, Sam and Tony might find it funny; but they wouldn’t be so amused if it were the other way around.  She caught Clint’s eye and could sense her friend felt the same way she did.  Miss Lewis would be getting a talking-to later today.

Wanda crossed the room and entered the lobby, shaking her head. When Pietro was in one of his manic moods it felt like he was twelve years younger than her instead of twelve minutes older.  She walked over to where her brother stood; grinning and bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. 

“Pietro, behave!” she gave him a gently reproachful tap on the chin “Don’t act so crazy when we have new people”

“I like him, he’s handsome” said Pietro, still grinning and bouncing “Do you think he liked me?”

She took her brother’s hand and led him back to the common room

“Perhaps if you said hello to him properly and stopped behaving like a child, you might get the chance to find out; and be nice! Darcy’s already mentally stripped him and rolled him in baby-oil”

Introductions done, the others resumed their customary bickering.  Jesse leaned back against the kitchen worktop drinking his coffee, overloaded by the whole experience.  He still wasn’t even sure what an ‘Avengers Auxiliary’ was expected to do.

The kid looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a fleet of very big trucks, thought Clint as he wandered over to top up his own coffee and speak to the young agent.

“Not what you expected?” he asked. Jesus! The kid was at least a good six inches taller than him, was Steve ever going to take on someone who was under six foot?  He’d end up with a permanent crick in his neck at this rate.

“Feels a bit like being the new kid in school again, to be honest, sir.” admitted Jesse “Guess I’ll have to find a way of fitting in somehow.”

The legendary Hawkeye was smaller and older than he expected; a quiet, rugged man in his mid-40’s with broad shoulders and a compact frame.  He sorta reminded him of one of his uncles and Clint’s warm, reassuring smile made Jesse feel a lot better.

“They only pick the best of the class for Auxiliary duty, Jesse” he told him “I think you’ll do just fine.”

He swatted him on the chest with the back of his hand

“C’mon, I’ll show you the gym and swimming pool; then Steve’ll brief you on what your duties are.”

###

It had been a long, hectic, day, and Jesse eagerly seized the option of an early night in preparation for his first proper day as a real-life Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  There was one thing he had to do before sleep, though…

He sat cross-legged on his bed, flipped open his laptop and clicked on his email.  The WiFi here was 100 times better than FieldOps; there, he’d only been able to get a decent signal in his room by perching on top of the desk.  Jesse cracked his knuckles and started to type

From: [GunslingerJesse@starkmail.com](mailto:GunslingerJesse@starkmail.com)

To: [BobnSalJ@bluenet.com](mailto:BobnSalJ@bluenet.com)

_Dear Mom & Dad_

_Hope you’re both doing great and thanks for the video of Stacy’s dance recital. She looked amazing, I’ll email her soon as I done this._

_Been a crazy day, but kinda cool…_

**Afternote**

**In the next episode… what do you do when you’ve forgotten to book the babysitter for an important occasion? Hijack the nearest Auxiliary of course!  Jesse finds that an invitation for a weekend in the country comes with three strings and a lead attached.**

 


	2. Protector of the Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The offer of country cooking proves too much for Jesse to resist, but a wholesome meal and a weekend away comes with an unexpected price and sudden danger for the young agent. Armed only with his wits and a poker, he proves his merit and earns the Barton Family's ultimate accolade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel Characters are based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are copyright to Marvel and Disney. Their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> Violence  
> Email addresses are fictitious  
> Reviews and comments welcome

Filling out the Weekly Duty Log was the worst part of being a Junior Agent, Jesse thought. Of course, it couldn't just be a simple case of copying and pasting from the Daily Log; that would make a new Agent's life too easy. You had to do the weekly averages, identify trends, analyse core strengths and weaknesses and provide a personal summary. That was just for the assigned daily training; on top of that was task summary and analysis, development goals, target analysis and, if your Supervising Officer wasn't directly available, sign-off from an Agent of Level 5 or above – all of whom seemed to have their own idea of what constituted a properly completed Log.

It would help if he had a clear idea of what his duties involved. It was the end of the first week and Jesse was still uncertain. Steve explained that, as the Auxiliary assigned to work directly with the Avengers Initiative, he was expected to assist with communications, logistics and mission back-up, to liaise with the STRIKE Team on duty and provide general support as required.

"Basically, you're their official Bitch" was Darcy's summary and that was the most accurate and concise description he'd been given to date

_Pity I can't put that in the Log!_

He looked up as Clint came in to the otherwise deserted Common Room, whistling to himself with his kitbag over his shoulder; intent on fixing himself a coffee for the drive home. That was a stroke of luck! Agents Barton and Romanoff were the only actual S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents on the team; this would save him a jog over to the Operations Block and the inevitable rewrite.

"Agent Barton, Sir!" he asked "Could you sign off on my Duty Log?"

"No problem" Clint said, taking the tablet from him "and I told you before, it's Clint, so drop the 'Agent Barton' crap"

"Of course, Agen… Clint, Sir!"

Clint grinned. He could see the kid was caught between the informality of the Avengers Bunkhouse, the rigid discipline of FieldOps and the old-fashioned Southern courtesy instilled in him from childhood. He guessed he would just have to keep putting up with the 'Sir'. He flicked through the Log as Jesse waited anxiously. It wasn't that he didn't trust the kid; but experience, and that month he spent codenamed 'Pinkeye' thanks to Tony, taught him to read everything before he signed off on it. Finally, he pressed his thumb on the biometric reader.

'Barton, Clinton Francis. Specialist Level 6. Approved.' Came the electronic voice. Clint shuddered. If Stark could give his User Interfaces human voices he didn't see why S.H.I.E.L.D had to stick with 'Creepy Robot'

He handed the tablet back to Jesse

"Not got anywhere to go, kid?" he asked "Gets pretty quiet around here on weekends, unless there's something on."

Aside from the rostered standby personnel, the Avengers Compound tended to empty at the weekends. Tony spent much of his time in New York anyway, and most of the others had some form of life outside the team. Even Wanda and Pietro, normally fixtures, were away at a waterpark till Sunday evening. Clint was only here this morning because he'd finished too late on Friday for it to be worth the drive home.

"Not really, Agen… Sir." Jesse shrugged "Family's all over the place and so are most of my Academy buddies"

The disadvantage of bunking and messing with the Avengers, rather than the other Field Agents rostered to the compound, was it became harder to forge connections with that side of life here; although it had to be weighed against the advantages of a private bathroom bigger than the average bunkhouse room, sheets that didn't feel like sandpaper and a fridge that didn't resemble a biological weapons dump. It was going to be a bit of a dull weekend though. The Team members on standby were Scott, who was in a foul mood for some reason, and Vision. The android was pleasant enough, Jesse thought; but not the kind of guy you could kick back and watch UFC with.

Clint thought for a moment.

"Come on down to the farm" he said suddenly "Meet the family and get some proper country cooking inside you."

"Thanks, Sir, but I couldn't impose on your personal time like that" Jesse replied, although it did sound good "I'll be okay here"

"Bullshit!" grinned Clint "Laura would love to meet you. Pack a bag and meet me outside in 10."

It'd be rude to say no, Jesse thought. It took less than 5 minutes to chuck his toiletry bag and a few clothes into his kitbag and they were soon on the road in Clint's pickup. He made it a point to stop and pick up a bottle of good quality wine for Mrs Barton at a store along the way. Arriving without a gift for his hostess seemed plain unmannerly.

It was just before lunchtime that they turned down the track leading to the Barton homestead. Clint paused and looked across at Jesse who was staring out the window at the view. The West Virginia hills were familiar to him from childhood, he'd grown up in country like this and felt homesick all of a sudden.

"How are you with dogs and children?" Clint asked

Jesse turned to him and grinned

"Three dogs growing up and a whole bunch of nieces and nephews aside from my kid sisters, so pretty good I guess."

"That's a relief" sighed Clint, looking suddenly sheepish "It's our anniversary weekend and I forgot about the babysitter. You're saving my life."

He saw the expression on the young Agent's face

"I'll give you a months' worth of free signoffs if you don't tell Laura!" he begged

"Two and it's a deal" laughed Jesse

###

"Just one more? Pleeeeaaassseee?" wheedled Lila. She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially in Jesse's ear "You do the voices better than Daddy"

She gave him a serious look that told him this had better stay their secret, or else. Jesse laughed and looked at the clock, 9:30 pm. Clint and Laura had headed off to the restaurant at 7 leaving strict instructions about bedtimes, what Cooper could watch on TV, what Lila's favourite stories were, making sure teeth were brushed and not to let Lucky up on the living room couch.

"Just the one, then bed!" he said firmly "'Cause if your Dad finds out I let you stay up this late he'll chew me a… be very annoyed with me."

"Okay" said Lila happily, settling down in the crook of his arm while he flicked through the story book for the final one of the evening. The little girl was nodding off long before Rapunzel let down her hair. Once Jesse had tucked her in and checked on Nat, he joined Coop in front of the big flat-screen TV that looked suspiciously like S.H.I.E.L.D. issue.

"One more game and then it's your bedtime too" he said with the 'no arguments' voice he used for his nephews.

"Yeah, I know; or Dad'll chew you a new one" Coop gave Jesse one of those sharp, appraising glances that Jesse had been noticing all evening "You're some kinda spy, aren't you? And Dad is too."

"Hey, now what gives you that idea?" asked Jesse with a laugh. Clint had been very clear that Coop didn't know what he really did for a living and wasn't planning on the kid finding out.

"You got the same callus on your finger that all Dad's friends got, like you fire a gun a lot" the boy said "and when you come into a room you check it out without looking like you're doing it. Flight engineers don't do that."

Clint's cover story for the kids was that he flew long-haul for a commercial airline; Jesse had been fitted into this as a new flight engineer that Clint had taken under his wing, in a manner of speaking.

Jesse kept his grin in place. The boy was smart and perceptive; Clint wasn't going to be able to keep the charade up much longer

"I was with the Marines for a couple of years, training sticks with you; you know?"

Coop gave him a look that said 'I'm 12, not stupid'. He got the same look from Stacy when she knew he was bullshitting.

"I hear Mom and Dad talking sometimes" Coop said quietly "I know Dad's got a dangerous job…"

Jesse took a long, hard look at the boy. Coop stared at him anxiously, clearly the boy was wanting some sort of reassurance. He took a deep breath.

"Your Dad does a very special and important job" he said carefully "My job is to make sure he has everything he needs to do that and to get him home safely to you and your Mom"

_At least now I know what my duties are!_

The boy looked at him for a long time then turned his attention back to the game

"That's cool!" he said, sounding suddenly much more cheerful "A real secret agent wouldn't be allowed to tell me anyway."

###

Inevitably 'one more game' turned into 'best of three' but by 11 Cooper was asleep in bed and Jesse sprawled on the couch chuckling at Toy Story 2, Lucky snoring in his basket by the fireplace. Mrs Barton had told him he could have a beer if he wanted, once the children were in bed, but Jesse wasn't one for solitary drinking. He'd maybe have a couple with Clint when they got back, but it was likely that he and Laura would be keen on some anniversary 'alone time'. Jesse's physical evaluation said he had exceptionally acute hearing. He was glad he remembered to pack his earplugs.

Lucky twitched into wakefulness and looked up, growling quietly. That caught Jesse's attention immediately; the brown Labrador was the most placid mutt he'd encountered for a while and didn't strike him as the type to spook easily. He switched off the movie and listened, picking up the sound of voices and the tread of feet outside. From what he could make out, there were three men moving round the house to the front and back doors. Automatically he reached down to where his ankle holster should be

_Shit!_

His gun and ammo were upstairs in his kitbag. Sensibly, Mrs Barton didn't like the ideas of guns and live ammunition around her children but it put the young Agent at a slight disadvantage. He couldn't rely on having the time to get them before the men were in the house. Taking advantage of his surroundings, Jesse grabbed the poker from the fireplace, cast iron with a good weight to it. He hefted it in his right hand while tapping a few buttons on his phone with his left. S.H.I.E.L.D. codes were concise and comprehensive. It took only a few keystrokes to transmit an emergency message on top priority.

"Jesse" he heard Coop's urgent whisper from the top of the stairs "There's men outside!"

"I know," he whispered back, getting himself into position "take Lila and Nat somewhere safe and stay with them; I'll look after these guys. Help's on its way."

He could hear them clearly now; three men, local sounding. Could just be housebreakers looking for an easy target, but that didn't mean he could let down his guard.

The one at the front door was the priority, he would be nearest to the stairs and the children. In the kitchen, Jesse could hear Lucky snarling and preparing to bark as the two others approached the back door. He felt the phone in his pocket give three short buzzes in succession, code for a 111-priority response. Jesse took a deep breath and secured his grip on the poker, his responsibility clear as any mission brief; neutralise the hostiles and protect the assets until backup arrived.

Lucky began barking furiously as the handle of the back door rattled; the front door shook, then smashed inwards as a tall, thickset man in jeans, denim jacket and ski-mask burst through. The poker caught him square on the side of the head with the full force of Jesse's strength behind it; there was an audible crack and Ski-mask fell forward. As he dropped, Jesse grabbed the back of his head and brought his knee up hard; driving it into Ski-mask's face and breaking his nose. That should keep him down long enough to deal with the others.

Jesse turned fast hearing the back-door break open and Lucky's barks change to angry muffled growls as a man began to yell. One of the intruders was on the floor with the dog's teeth sunk into his arm; the soppy brown Labrador as ferocious as any junkyard dog towards the strangers menacing his family. Intruder No. 3, as tall as the first but skinnier, raced towards Jesse wielding a hunting knife. The young agent twisted to one side but grimaced in pain as he felt the blade of the knife scrape across his ribs.

No. 3 was fast but clumsy, pulling back too far for a second blow aimed at Jesse's stomach; dropping the poker he caught No. 3's knife arm and yanked it back, bringing his other elbow down full force into the man's shoulder and dislocating it. As No. 3 cried out in pain, Jesse smacked his head twice into the corner of the mahogany dresser, just as Ski-mask tried to stagger to his feet. A swift roundhouse kick sent him back down and Jesse spun to face whatever No. 2 had to offer. The second man had bolted, with Lucky in loud, barking pursuit. The intruders had been expecting three small children and a teenage girl babysitting them; not a young man with two years in the Marines and four years of S.H.I.E.L.D. combat training under his belt.

Jesse resisted the urge to chase after No. 2; there was no telling who, or what might be out there in the dark. His job now was to secure the intruders and await backup

"That. Was. Awesome!" came an enthusiastic young voice from the upstairs landing "Just like the movies; I knew you were a secret agent."

Cooper's face beamed down at Jesse from between the banisters

"Coop! Get back to Lila and Nat and stay there until I say it's safe to come down" Jesse hissed "Does your Mom keep zip-ties in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, drawer to the left of the sink" grinned Cooper "You were great!"

"Do as I say or you're Dad'll kill me!" insisted Jesse. He headed to the kitchen and grabbed the bag of zip-ties from the drawer, using them to secure the two unconscious intruders hand and foot. He took out his phone and sent the code for 'Location secured, agent on alert' and pulled up his t-shirt to check the wound in his side. Worse than it looked, long but not deep and minimal bleeding. It would sting for a bit but little more. Lucky came trotting into the kitchen proudly holding a scrap of bloody sleeve in his mouth.

"Good boy!" said Jesse, grinning. Even with the doggy drool, that should provide forensics with everything they needed. Carefully retrieving it and placing it on the worktop he looked at his phone and dialled the number he had to call. He could tell by the change in Clint's voice and breathing that the man was up and running by the time the first few words were out. Even with the assurance that their children were safe and backup on its way, the Bartons were naturally racing home as fast as possible.

Jesse let out a long breath. He could really do with that beer right now but it would have to wait. Opening the first aid kit he took out some cotton balls and surgical spirit to clean the cut on his side; the muted hum of a Quinjet's engines was already audible. With any luck, the beer wouldn't have to wait too long…

He hadn't expected the back-up to include Phil Coulson. The Director came racing in, wearing a Portland Philharmonic sweatshirt of all things, accompanied by a S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical team dressed in Police S.W.A.T. gear.

"Where are the kids?" he gasped with breathless anxiety, "Remember, you don't know me"

"Understood, Sir!" said Jesse "They're upstairs, safe; although Coop sneaked out for a ringside seat."

"He would" Phil sighed in relief then shouted up the stairs "SPONGEBOB!"

He glanced at Jesse with a look of mild embarrassment

"It's the agreed code word to let them know it's safe" he said "Lila's favourite cartoon show."

"Uncle Phil!" Cooper appeared at the top of the stairs with Nat in his arms, Lila peeping out from behind.

"Stay up there for just now, kids!" he said, heading up towards them "There's a lot of broken glass down here and the police have to do their job."

He wrapped Lila in his arms

"You okay, Sweetness?" he asked, the little girl nodded

"I wasn't scared, Uncle Phil" she assured him "Coop said Uncle Jesse would stop the bad men"

"He did indeed" Phil smiled; until now only he, Natasha and Steve had earned the Barton children's ultimate accolade of approval. It sounded like Agent James had been officially welcomed into the clan.

"Yeah, you shoulda seen him, Uncle Phil" said Coop "He was awesome!"

Phil turned and looked speculatively at the young man standing nervously by the foot of the stairs.

"Awesome, huh?" He winked at Jesse "We're going to have to hear all about that when your Mom and Dad get home"

They arrived not too far behind the back-up, Laura racing up the stairs to embrace her children; Clint following close behind, pausing only to pat Jesse on the shoulder gratefully. As the Barton family retreated to the privacy of Clint and Laura's bedroom, Phil came downstairs to oversee the removal of the captured intruders

"Look like regular housebreakers, Sir" said the team leader "We'll do a background check then hand them over to the Sheriff's office. Tracking down the third shouldn't be a problem."

"Carry on, Agent" Phil ordered "I'll be sticking around here for a while"

He watched the Tactical Team leave then turned to Jesse. The one thing the agent didn't expect was for the notoriously impassive S.H.I.E.L.D. Director to hug him

"Thank you…" he said, after a moment "Thank you so very much"

"I… I was just doing what I had to, Sir!" stammered Jesse, feeling the hot flush of embarrassment in his cheeks

"I know" replied Coulson quietly "…and I'm glad you did."

The children had been put to bed, Phil was on the couch downstairs and Jesse asleep in the guest bedroom. Clint had taped up the cut in Jesse's side and the three men had cleared up the worst of the mess, secured the doors and downed several glasses of Clint's best scotch.

Clint and Laura sat side by side on their bed, relieved their children were safe but still shaking inwardly at the thought of how differently things might have gone in other circumstances. Clint took a deep breath

"I'm gonna find out what that kid drinks and buy him a case of it" he said at last, Laura reached over and took his hand

"Coop's starting to notice things, and ask questions" she said "We always agreed that when that happened we'd tell him the truth."

She was right, as usual, Clint thought. He'd wanted to keep the truth of the life he lived as far from his family as possibly but deep down knew that was going to be impossible. He sighed

"How about I do the 'Birds and Bees' talk and you do the 'Your Dad's a Spy' one?" he asked, hopefully

"Fat chance" Laura laughed "I still haven't completely forgiven you for letting Tony near the mower."

###

From Coulson.P_Dir@SHIELD.com

To Jesse.J_A17432@SHIELD.com

_Dear Agent James_

_It is my pleasure to inform you that Agent Barton has recommended you for a Special Citation in recognition of your actions on the evening of Saturday 17th_ _June._

_I have wholeheartedly endorsed this recommendation and it has been added to your Service Record, where it will remain and be included in your next Evaluation._

_Your actions demonstrated the selfless courage and commitment to service that I expect from all agents under my command, and I am confident that such courage and commitment will remain the hallmark of your ongoing record as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D._

_With warmest congratulations and my personal thanks and best wishes_

_Philip Coulson_

_Director_

 

**In the next episode: a routine intelligence-gathering mission goes awry when a face from Natasha’s past appears and Jesse finds himself in an embarrassing position…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next episode: a routine intelligence-gathering mission goes awry when a face from Natasha's past appears and Jesse finds himself in an embarrassing position…


	3. Agent August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loosely inspired by S.H.I.E.L.D. Recruit Survival Tip #565  
> “There is not, nor will there ever be, a S.H.I.E.L.D. Christmas pin-up calendar of various agents.”  
> Tony discovers Agent Jesse James in an embarrassing position protected only by a tragically placed cushion  
> The tale of how he found himself so exposed involves a sought-after flash-drive, a rival agency and a face from Natasha Romanoff’s past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel Characters are based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are copyright to Marvel and Disney. Their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> Implied nudity and non-sexual bondage  
> Reviews and comments welcome

“Well, I can’t wait to read this mission report” smirked Tony Stark, leaning in the doorway of the hotel room.

“Mr Stark, this ain’t funny!” said Jesse, anxiously tugging on the handcuffs securing his wrists to the bedposts “Just get me outa here, willya?”

“You know, I’ve often thought we should have an ‘Agent of the Month’ calendar” mused Tony, reaching into his pocket “and I believe I’ve just found our Agent August.”

“Mr Stark! No!” Jesse’s eyes widened in horror as Stark took out his phone “Dammit, Mr Stark…”

He pulled harder on the cuffs, trying to dislodge them; the red flush of embarrassment getting deeper with the effort, spreading down his neck and chest.  With his hands apart like this he couldn’t even do that thing where you dislocate the thumb.  In this situation, the discomfort would be worth it.

“Careful, Cowboy!” cautioned Tony as he got the best angle for the shot “The flexing looks great, but you’re in danger of dislodging your modesty cushion!”

“TONY, GODDAMMIT, DON’T YOU DARE TAKE A FUCKING PHOTO!!!!”

Tony looked up at the young agent with mock disapproval as his phone gave an audible ‘click’

“Agent James! Language!” he laughed and hit speed-dial “Oh Agent Romanoff? I’ve found our missing lamb… Third floor, room 314… yes, I think you will want to see this…”

**Sixteen Hours Previously**

Jesse was nervous about his first live undercover mission.  Sure, this was a big part of FieldOps training and the test scenarios were painfully authentic; but doing it real for the first time? That would give anyone a case of the jitters, especially if you were working alongside Agent Romanoff, although the mission brief sounded simple enough:

Alphonse Kateb, an ‘Independent Information Consultant’, had come into possession of a flash-drive purportedly containing information on European HYDRA cells and was discreetly offering it to the highest bidder.  According to the intelligence S.H.I.E.L.D. received, the deal was due to be finalised and the flash-drive handed over at a party Kateb was throwing at the Ambassador Plaza Hotel this evening.

Agent Romanoff’s mission was to obtain the flash-drive without S.H.I.E.L.D. having to pay the exorbitant price Kateb was asking; Agent James’s, to provide an extra pair of eyes and ears together with back-up if required.  She also needed an escort for the party, hence why he was currently standing in the lounge of Stark’s penthouse while Agent Romanoff adjusted his bow tie.

“Well! Agent Johnny Handsome is in the house!” quipped Tony as he poured a generous shot of bourbon over ice. “If you didn’t sound like an extra from ‘Deliverance’ I could imagine you as the next James Bond.”

“Ignore him, Jesse” Natasha brushed a speck of dust of the silk lapel of his tuxedo “He’s just jealous.  How does the suit feel?”

Jesse wriggled his shoulders slightly, getting use to the feel.  He’d not dressed up like this since senior prom and he had to admit this was a lot more comfortable than the tux he’d worn then; it also looked a damn sight better.

“Fits good, Miss Natasha” he said “Plenty room to move.”

“Good? My tailor doesn’t do ‘good’ he does perfect!” Tony sounded slightly affronted as he strolled over to take a closer look “Aside from the classic Italian styling, this flexible polykevlar provides all the protection of the regular stuff without the uncomfortable and obvious rigidity and bulk.”

He stepped back and ran an appraising eye over the young agent’s evening attire

“And it hangs very well, I might get Lucrezio to run me up a few suits out of this!” He took a long drink of the bourbon and turned to Natasha “So, if you’re the fashionable East Coast socialite what’s his cover, pool-boy? Gardener? Son’s Little League Baseball Coach?  Or is this just an excuse for the two of you to elope while Steve finally consummates his life-long bromance with Bucky?”

Natasha slipped her arm through Jesse’s, her own choice for the evening was an ankle length evening gown in shimmering black and gold.  Together, they made a very stylish couple.

“Not need to be bitter, Tony” she smiled at him sweetly “Just because Pepper’s making you go to the annual Shareholders Reception tonight…”

“Yeah, why is that?  I thought she ran things for me these days?”  Stark looked extremely unhappy at the prospect, for a man who owned one of the largest multi-national companies in the world he often showed very little enthusiasm for having anything to do with it.

Natasha laughed

“I think they just want to make sure she’s not killed you off and replaced you with a high-functioning user-interface hologram” She nodded to Jesse “Let’s go, the car’s waiting”

“Would they know if she had?” Tony chuckled, taking another drink of bourbon as Natasha and Jesse headed to the elevator.  A worried expression began to appear on his face “Would I?”

“He’ll be freaking out about that thought all evening” Natasha murmured to Jesse as the elevator descended “Serves him right!”

###

Like all Kateb’s affairs the party was lavish, spreading over a full suite of reception rooms on the second floor.  The sale was being done by silent auction, folded slips of white paper changing hands as guests drank, gambled and danced.  The champagne was excellent, the buffet superb, and the beautiful people were very beautiful.  No wonder Tony was so grumpy about missing this, it almost rivalled some of the parties he threw at the Penthouse.

Natasha cast a practised eye over the crowd in the main salon, more interested in the faces that never appeared on the covers of celebrity magazines.  After a while you could reasonably guess which agency someone was with just by their body language and their style of dress.  She was certain that the brunette in the low cut white dress, currently tempting Jesse to try his first prawn dim sum, was MI6.  MI5 tended to be a bit more conservative.  She smiled pleasantly at the couple from the FBI, it couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d sent Mulder and Scully.

Zateb was a valuable, and more importantly, neutral source of high level intelligence with a wide network of assets in his own right.  Most agencies at least appeared willing to play the game by his rules but Director Coulson had other ideas.  The problem wouldn’t be hostile agencies, you knew exactly where you stood with them and there was an odd, if lethal, chivalry in the exchanges. It was the ‘friendly’ ones you had to watch out for; they were the most likely to cut your throat when you weren’t looking.  In a world where information was power, no-one wanted a supposed ally to gain any more that was necessary. 

“Drive’s in the building” Jesse murmured in her ear as he returned with more drinks “Two guys with a locked briefcase went up to Zateb’s suite ten minutes ago”

Natasha laughed flirtatiously, lightly slapping his arm

“Anything else?” she murmured back. 

Jesse raised his hand to his mouth to stifle a belch

“Yeah, them dumpling things give me gas…”

“I’m not surprised, you had at least…” she stopped, noticing the tall blonde woman entering the salon.  She turned to Jesse “…excuse me for a few minutes, keep mingling.”

“Carla!” Natasha’s voice dripped with insincere delight “I heard you retired”

“Tasha, darling” the other woman leaned in for the compulsory air kiss and dropped her voice slightly “I heard you got fat”

Natasha had run across Carla Desougghy on several occasions over the years, even worked with her once or twice when they accidentally found themselves sharing common purpose.  Purportedly of Italian/Sudanese extraction, and supposedly trained by Mossad, she had worked for several different national and international agencies, often at the same time; presently she was rumoured to be engaged by the French _Bureau de Sécurité Spéciale_ but could easily be working one of many other options.

She wasn’t Red Room calibre, privately Natasha thought her reputation overrated, but her abilities were still formidable. 

“I thought your people disliked paying for information” Carla said with an arch of her eyebrow “especially now _Le Vérificateur_ is in charge”

“We like to keep an eye open” was Natasha’s carefully neutral response.  ‘The Auditor’, that was the rather disparaging codename used by the BSS for Phil Coulson. “Even if the intelligence is passé”

She observed the slight flash in the other woman’s eyes; Natasha’s suspicions began to congeal into certainties.

“Well that certainly is one tall, cool, drink of water you have as your escort” Carla commented, changing the subject and turning her attention to Jesse on the far side of the room “I imagine everything is in proportion?”

“Why don’t you come over and take a closer look?” asked Natasha “He’s really quite sweet”

“I’ll bet!” said Carla, pursing her lips appreciatively “If that’s what S.H.I.E.L.D. are churning out these days…”

Carla pretended that handsome men were her weakness; Natasha knew better.  Carla’s weakness was her vanity and she would go to any lengths to score a point over a rival, especially if that rival was the Black Widow.

Having introduced Carla to Jesse and made a few minutes more acidly pleasant conversation, Natasha excused herself to visit the ladies powder room.  Once out of sight in the hotel lobby she checked her watch.  On top form, it would take her just under 15 minutes to get to Zateb’s suite, locate and ‘extract’ the flash drive and return to the party to retrieve Jesse from a fate worse than Darcy and make a discreet withdrawal.  It was an almost flawless plan.

16 minutes later she was back and pleasantly surprised; no, astonished to see Jesse on the dance floor mamboing, quite expertly, with Carla.  He’d kept that skill set a secret.

“May I cut in?” she asked, expertly intruding and sliding one hand around Jesse’s chest under his jacket; the intimate gesture hiding the flash drive as she slipped it into one of the hidden pockets.

“Please do!” snipped Carla, “I’ll just go and refresh our drinks, shall I?”

As the blonde woman huffed off, Natasha leaned in to Jesse’s ear.

“Mission accomplished” she whispered “Keep her talking while I fetch the car and we can make a discreet withdrawal.”

As the Latin number switched to a more sedate foxtrot, Jesse and Natasha left the dance floor to re-join Carla.  Natasha gracefully declined the proffered champagne.

“Not for me, I’m driving” she smiled “and I think it’s almost past Jesse’s bedtime; he has college tomorrow”

Jesse gave an amused grunt as he took a mouthful of Scotch.  It was a bit sharper than his last one, maybe a different blend.

“Not staying for the main event?” asked Carla “I would have thought _Le Vérificateur_ would be anxious for the result?”

“I would say we’re looking at a win for the home team, don’t you?” replied Natasha with a slight tilt of the head “Now if you’ll excuse me?”

Left alone with the voracious Miss Desougghy again, Jesse felt his discomfort levels starting to rise again; or it may have been the rich food.  The woman wasn’t being particularly brazen but every word and gesture seemed to be laden with layered innuendo.  After a few more minutes of what he hoped was polite conversation he glanced discreetly at his watch.  Miss Natasha must be waiting with the car; if not, he’d better find out where she was.

“Well, if you’ll pardon me, Miss Desougghy” he said firmly “It’s been great meeting you, but I have to go find my date…”

At first, he thought it was more gas from the prawn dim sum, but as Jesse put his glass down his head started to swim and bright spots danced in front of his eyes.

_Awww Dammit!_

###

Well he was awake, and not wired up to electrodes in a cellar; but other than that Jesse had little reason to be happy about his situation.  Spread-eagled on a hotel bed, wrists and ankles securely handcuffed and tied to the bedposts, with his clothes – all his clothes – piled on the couch and thoroughly turned inside out.  His heart sank when he saw the flash drive sitting on the dresser beside a woman’s purse and he tried twisting his wrist in one of the cuffs to see if he could get any leverage.  This was a scenario they hadn’t covered in the academy.

The bathroom door opened and Carla Dessoughy came in, humming happily to herself and tying back her hair.  She had changed out of her evening wear and looked ready to leave.

“Ah, you’re awake at last!” she smiled “I must have misjudged the dose slightly.  I’m afraid I have to take the drive, but you’ll be happy to know your virtue remains intact.”

“Hey!” Jesse pulled angrily at the restraints “Ain’t we on the same side?”

“Of course we are, darling!” laughed Carla “Just not the same agency that’s all.  Don’t take it so personally.”

She ran her fingertips speculatively down the young agent’s chest and stomach as he tugged at the restraints

“Don’t bother, they’re quite secure…” she smiled, then sighed softly; her fingers stopping just short of his navel “I was right, you are perfectly in proportion…”

She put the flash drive into her purse and buttoned up her coat as Jesse continued to try and wriggle free. 

“You gonna leave me like this?” he growled “You got what you wanted, could at least undo one wrist…”

“Good heavens, no!” she laughed “but I will do you a favour”

She picked up a round, pink, cushion from the sofa and placed it carefully between the young man’s thighs.

“Wouldn’t want to shock the maid…”

###

Jesse’s face was still bright red when he got into Natasha’s car; embarrassed by the situation he’d been found in, angry at Mr Stark for making a fool of him but, most of all, ashamed at failing so dismally in his first real mission.

“Agent Romanoff…” he managed to say at last “I’m real sorry for letting you down like that.  I know there’s going to be consequences and I’m willing to take full…”

Jesse paused in mid-sentence.  Miss Natasha was smiling at him and holding something in her hand.

“You got it back!” he exclaimed in relief.  He’d still have to face the music for losing it but at least the mission wasn’t a failure.

“I extracted it as soon as I left you with Carla” she admitted “The one I passed to you was the decoy”

The mission hadn’t just been about obtaining the drive, she explained, but replacing it with a decoy carrying a Trojan Horse that would give back door access to any system it was plugged into.  It had taken Natasha only a few minutes of conversation with Carla to realise the bidding was a smokescreen.  Kateb was working for the Bureau de Sécurité Spéciale and the whole affair had been arranged to protect his cover.

Rather than swap the drives as originally planned, she passed the one bearing the Trojan Horse to Jesse; knowing Carla would pursue what she believed to be the stolen one; leaving Natasha free to obtain the real one without her interference.

“Carla would suspect something was up if she found the flash drive still in place after seeing me around; and I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist embarrassing S.H.I.E.L.D.  Now Phil will have a nice little route into everything the BSS is up to, and Carla thinks she got one over on me.  Everyone’s happy, except you it seems…” Natasha glanced over at Jesse with an apologetic expression “If I thought you would have been in any real danger I’d have found another way”

“A head’s up woulda been nice” grumbled Jesse “Kinda feel like a total dumbass right now”

“There’s not always time in the field” replied Natasha, then smiled reassuringly at him “Learn from it, that’s what we’ve all had to do.  Every agent has their share of embarrassing moments.  Get me drunk enough sometime and I’ll tell you a few of Clint’s”

“And what about yours?” asked Jesse, finally relaxed enough to start laughing about the whole thing.

“You don’t have clearance for that” Natasha deadpanned.

###

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” asked Pietro, looking uncertainly at the ropes in his hand “Perhaps one of the others?”

“Look, Piet” Jesse said “I ain’t planning on getting caught out like that again, and I kinda trust you not to make me look like a jackass; so yeah, go for it…”

The young Sokovian grinned.  Jesse had made it gently plain that he didn’t like him in that way, but was more than happy to be his friend; hearing that the young agent trusted him meant a lot.  There were still plenty of people in S.H.I.E.L.D. suspicious of him and his sister because of their enhanced abilities and their initial association with HYDRA.  Socialising outside the safe limits of the Team was difficult for Pietro, so having someone his own age to buddy about with made him feel almost normal.

“Okay, hop on the bed”

**Five minutes later…**

“That is not too tight, is it?” asked Pietro nervously “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jesse moved his ankle round experimentally

“Naw, you’re good!” he said “Now do the other one and get the stopwatch”

“Well! Someone’s definitely developed a taste for the wild side…” came Tony’s voice from the doorway.  What the hell? Jesse was sure it had been closed and locked.

“This is escape practise, Mr Stark” he snapped “Get your mind out the gutter and go”

“How you two justify it is your own business, Cowboy…” said Tony with a wicked glint in his eye, reaching for his pocket

“Aw Hell, No! PIET!! GET THAT GODDAM CAMERA OFF HIM!!!!”

**In the next episode**

**A Sunday motorcycle ride has a few surprises in store for Steve and Jesse.**

 

 

 


	4. The Plainsville Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride turns sour for Jesse when an unexplained accident sends him off the road.  
> Did he encounter a local ghost or is there another explanation for what the young agent says he saw?  
> Wanda, Clint and Natasha investigate while Clint expresses his concerns for Wanda’s health.  
> Meanwhile Jesse deals with the emotions and memories stirred by his recent accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel Characters are based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are copyright to Marvel and Disney. Their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> Reference to road traffic accidents and accidental death  
> Reviews and comments welcome

“Thank you!” said Wanda, popping half a strawberry into her mouth from the growing pile of fruit on the kitchen worktop.  Jesse looked at her quizzically

“For the smoothie?  Was making enough for two anyway; three’s no bother” he chuckled and gestured towards the blender “I’ll swear Piet could hear that thing from ten miles away”

“For being Pietro’s friend. He hasn’t had one before, not a real one anyway.” She smiled impishly “Clint doesn’t count, he’s too old…”

“Piet’s a real good guy…” said Jesse with a grin, feeling a twinge inside at the pain revealed by Wanda’s words.  Even before HYDRA used them for their experiments, the twins must have had a rough time growing up as orphans in the shattered ruins of Novi Grad. “…and it’s kinda nice to have folks my own age to hang out with”

He winked at her.  Jesse, Wanda, Pietro and Darcy were definitely the ‘kids’ of the Avengers Compound and had quickly formed a strong bond.  Wanda and Darcy were already firm friends and, once Darcy had stopped drooling over him like a slab of prime steak, he’d realised he really enjoyed the company of the quirky, funny, young intern as well.

Jesse had tried hanging out with some of the other S.H.I.E.L.D. FieldOps personnel rostered to the Compound but discovered there was more than a bit of ambiguity and ill-feeling directed towards the Avengers Initiative, and anyone associated with it, from the regular S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents.  One guy made the mistake of referring to the twins as ‘fucking freaks’ in his earshot.  According to the reports both men later filed with their S.O.’s; that agent had subsequently fallen down a flight of stairs with such force that Jesse had badly barked his knuckles trying to stop him breaking his face against the floor. 

You might beat the crap out of a fellow agent but you never ratted on him; that was the inviolable FieldOps code. 

Jesse finished heaping chopped and diced fruit into the blender, added a couple of dollops of yoghurt and topped up with coconut water before closing the lid.  He winked at Wanda again and flicked the switch. 

“Three… two… one…”

There was a familiar flash of blue and silver; Pietro leaning on the worktop beside his sister.

“Smoothie time?” he grinned expectantly. Jesse laughed and filled three glasses

“All yours Piet; chug it down!”  Jesse glanced at his watch and quickly swallowed his own, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand “Gotta run, Steve’ll get snarky if I’m late.”

###

Jesse wasn’t sure why he was upside down, or why his shoulder hurt so bad.  Through the visor of his motorcycle helmet he could see Steve and Sam leaning over him with anxious expressions.  Their lips were moving, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the ringing in his ears.  He tried to move but his foot was stuck and Steve put a hand on his good shoulder, his lips forming the words ‘Don’t move’.  Jesse tried to say something in response but nothing came out and he felt himself slipping into blackness.

This wasn’t his bed, or his room.  Too white, too bright and a faint smell of antiseptic.  Jesse realised he was in the medical lab, his left arm in a sling and a support bandage on his right ankle.  Steve drowsed in the chair beside the bed, stirring and sitting forward as he heard the young man start to wake.

“You gave us quite a fright there, Jesse!” Steve said with a nervous smile, handing him a glass of water “Any idea what happened?”

Jesse furrowed his brow, trying to remember.  He’d been riding along with Steve and Sam; a Sunday afternoon motorcycle trip the three men had been planning for a while.  They’d just reached the Plainsville road; a long, straight, clear stretch where they could really open up the throttle.  He’d been out front, enjoying the sensation of speed and power when…

He grabbed Steve’s arm, a look of panic on his face

“Steve, what about the kid?” there was a frantic edge to Jesse’s voice “Tell me I missed him!”

###

“And there was nothing in the road at all?” asked Natasha, as Steve finished recounting Jesse’s story.

“Not even a rabbit or a bird” he said “We had a clear route in front of us and suddenly Jesse just veers right, comes off his bike and ends up head-down in a gulley.”

He shuddered slightly, remembering the sight of the young man’s body bouncing over the road; fearing the worst as he and Sam raced over to where he’d come to rest.

“Thought he was a goner for a second, coming off at that speed.”

“They breed us country boys tough, Steve” grinned Clint, handing him a coffee “You soft city kids wouldn’t understand”

Clint’s characteristic levity masked the traces of the anxiety he’d felt when Natasha called him and Laura to tell them Jesse had been in an accident.  He was relieved the boy was okay but still concerned over the peculiar circumstances.

“Could it have been a seizure, something like that?”

Steve shook his head

“Bruce is checking the MRI scan to see if there’s anything there, but he doesn’t think so.  Everything looks the way it should…”

“Found it!” called Darcy, round a mouthful of muffin.  She’d been sitting in the kitchen area, snacking and surfing in silence for so long they’d almost forgotten about her.  She spun her laptop so they could see the website; it looked like an amateur job, done with more enthusiasm than technical skill.

“The Plainsville Ghost Boy?” Sam asked, putting down his beer and looking at the screen “What the hell is that?”

“A local legend” said Darcy “Supposedly some kid was killed by a speeding biker back in the ‘50s; ever since he keeps appearing to bikers on the same stretch of road and causing them to crash.”

“You’re saying Jesse saw a ghost and that’s what made him crash?” scoffed Scott “What’s in them muffins and why ain’t you sharing?”

“Forty-three reported sightings in the last twenty years” Darcy retorted, turning the laptop back round and continuing to type “They’re blueberry and I don’t share food.”

“Never get between Darcy and her snacks” Clint warned him with a laugh “Nat almost lost a finger in the Pretzel Incident last year.”

“Seriously though…” Scott grinned as Darcy, still intensely chasing references, flipped a casual bird in Clint’s direction “Jesse must’ve seen a rabbit, or a plastic bag, or something and thought…”

“I know what I saw” Jesse was coming into the room accompanied by Pietro and Wanda.  His arm was still in a sling and he limped slightly; otherwise he seemed fine, if a bit shaken up.  He settled himself down on the couch, gratefully acknowledging everyone’s greetings and accepting the beer that Sam passed him.

“It was a kid” he said emphatically, closing his eyes and forcing himself to recall the details of what he’d seen “Eight, maybe nine years old; about four-foot tall, pudgy face, brown hair cut straight... Wearing black shorts and a blue and white stripe shirt.  Just standing there in the road staring right at me…”

He could feel himself starting to shake again with the shock of it; turning the bike sharply to one side in a desperate attempt not to hit the kid, his shoulder hitting the road hard _the car bouncing and rolling down the hillside, Megan screaming_ and then nothing until he was in the gully with Steve and Sam bending over him.

Wanda took his hand

“It’s all right, Jesse” she assured him, “You’re safe, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Kid’s name was Joey Rutger” piped up Darcy, still chewing on her second muffin “Eight years old, hit by a biker on the Plainsville Road, May 9th 1954.”

She turned her laptop again to show the photograph she’d found

“You’re a sketch artist’s wet dream, Jess!”

Jesse caught his breath, the grainy picture on the screen looked exactly like the boy he’d swerved to avoid.  Wanda felt his grip on her hand tighten; and something else, a familiar tingling sensation.  Normally she made it a rule to carefully avoid slipping into the minds of her friends and team mates, even by accident, but some things were so strong she couldn’t avoid picking them up…

“Except!” continued Darcy with a hint of triumph “Joey Rutger didn’t die; he broke his leg and collarbone, made a full recovery and died of a coronary in August 2008. Also, road accident reports show that the Plainsville Road has fewer than the national average of motorcycle accidents or fatalities every year.”

“So how come I saw that kid right in front of me then? I ain’t crazy or lying!” Jesse was trying not to sound angry or defensive but he wasn’t prone to flights of fancy and was badly spooked by the whole affair.

“Someone made you…” Wanda said, looking at the space around Jesse’s head, her voice a little vague and distant. “Someone made you see him”

“How can you tell?” asked Natasha.  The full extent of Wanda’s abilities was still a mystery to the team, and to her, it felt like every time she used them some new subtlety revealed itself.  If Bruce were here he’d have his notepad out in an instant and be scribbling away.

“It’s like… cobwebs around his head…” it was hard for her to find the words to explain, but telepathic interference with a person’s mind could leave a sort of trace signature.  It faded over time but another telepath might sometimes be able to detect the signs of recent intrusion.  The ‘feel’ of Jesse’s energy field was as familiar to her as his face and there were definite hints of something ‘not-Jesse’ still lurking round the edges.

“I don’t know if I could manage something as focussed as a single image” she admitted “that would take a lot of effort and concentration.”

“Clint, I think you and Nat should head up there at first light and have a look” Steve suggested “Wanda, you okay to go with them, have a poke around?”

Wanda nodded, her attention still on Jesse who seemed to be slipping into a state of mild shock

“You’re safe, Jesse” she repeated “You’re with friends”

“Why me?” the young man asked quietly, almost a whisper

“We don’t know” Nat told him “but we’re going to find out.”

Steve sent Jesse off to bed shortly afterwards; he looked drained, exhausted and badly in need of natural sleep.  Once Jesse had gone, Steve turned to the others and repeated the question.

“Why him, why not me or Sam?”

They didn’t have enough information to draw a conclusion yet; they couldn’t even be sure that whoever, or whatever, was responsible knew who the three men were.  It might be they were just the first bikers to come along and Jesse happened to be out front.  Natasha in particular disliked speculation in the absence of evidence, it clouded judgement and set up false suppositions, she would wait until they’d had the chance to have a good look at the site before. 

Wanda didn’t take much part in the discussion; the brief flash of Jesse’s thoughts, and the things he’d shared with her and Pietro in private, gave her an idea of why her friend might have been more susceptible to this sort of attack, but that was something it didn’t feel right to reveal without his knowledge or consent.  Besides, as Natasha said, in a scenario like this they shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions in advance.  Part of her wished it was morning already, so they could be out there and seeing what was to be found.

She glanced over at her brother. Pietro slouched in his chair, his face clouded with anger and confusion, fingers drumming rapidly on the arms while his foot beat a rapid tattoo on the floor; so fast to be almost a blur.  He was never good at hiding his feelings at the best of times.  Wanda leaned over to him

“Go, run…” she murmured to him, in Sokovian “then sleep”

He looked at her for a moment, then got up and left in silence.  It was the only thing that would calm him, she knew, he would run until he couldn’t run any more then collapse into an exhausted sleep.  It frightened her, even more than the paradoxical and barely understood powers that flowed through her, deep down she feared one day her brother would burn up too much of his energy and never wake again.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say I’m officially freaked out…” Scott grinned up at Sam as he handed the other man a beer from the fridge and got another for himself “I’m gonna need at least a couple more before I’ll be getting any sleep tonight.”

Sam laughed

“Man, you can shrink down to the size of an ant; woulda thought that could prepare you for anything!”

“That’s science, I kinda understand about 1% of that on a good day,” Scott stood up and opened his beer.  He’d only been involved with the Avengers Initiative for a few months, still finding his feet around the strange bunch of people he had to work with.  Coulson hadn’t given him much choice in the matter, but it was better than the other options. “All this twilight zone stuff…”

“Does get some getting used to…” Sam nodded, taking a drink and sinking back into his thoughts.  All this psi stuff unsettled him as well.  Wanda and her abilities never bothered him, she was a sweet kid with a gentle heart, but the idea of others like her out there who might not be quite so congenial; well, that was an uncomfortable thought.  He wasn’t the only one that was spooked, everyone seemed on edge and Big J looked scared to death. 

Sam was good at recognizing the signs of combat stress and PTSD, he saw enough of it in the field and working as a counsellor.  Jesse was definitely showing some of them and not just as a result of recent events; he’d noticed it a couple of times before.  Maybe he should take some time out for a quiet chat with the kid.

###

“This is the spot!” Steve said.  The skidmarks were still visible, and they could see the broken bushes where Jesse’s bike had ended up.  The young man’s treasured Indian Chief was salvageable, but would need a lot of work to get it roadworthy again.

He glanced at Wanda who nodded at him and walked forward slowly, stilling her mind and attuning to the environment.  If she could identify the natural background atmosphere it should make it a little easier to tell if something else had intruded.  Steve, Clint and Natasha hung back near the car, watchful and silent as the girl they codenamed Scarlet Witch went to work.

Wanda took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, relaxing and feeling with her mind for the subtle shifts and ripples in the energies of the place. As she identified and familiarised herself with them, it became possible to differentiate the faint psychic residues left by recent travellers.  It wasn’t a busy road, and it was relatively easy to isolate the remaining traces of Jesse’s thoughts; energised as they were by the shock of the accident.

She felt his thrill at the speed and power of the ride, sudden gut-wrenching terror at the sight of the child in front of him, the desperate swerving and then flying through the air; sharp pain and the breath knocked out of his body as he hit the road…

Clint caught her before she fell and held her steady as she recovered her breath and brought her mind back to the present moment.

“You okay, Wanda?” She could sense his anxiety, the fear he always felt for her when she exerted herself like this.  Wanda pushed her hair back from her face.  It was damp with sweat even though she was chilled to the bone.

“I’m fine” she promised him, seeing that he clearly didn’t believe her. “They were nearby, in line of sight.”

Even with specialised training and intense concentration, a single projected image of that clarity and solidity couldn’t have been sustained over a distance.  Wanda turned to Steve

“Did you see anyone in the vicinity, or hear anything?”

“We were more concerned with Jesse” Steve admitted “If anyone else were around it wasn’t obvious”

“Well, it had to be on this side” said Clint, staring up the slope to the right.  The ground to the left dipped sharply down, the road wouldn’t be visible from that side. He turned to Natasha with an eager grin “Strike Team Delta are go!”

In soft-soled shoes and with years of acrobatics and free-running behind him, Clint covered the ground swiftly and lightly, his sharp grey eyes darting from side to side as he searched for any hint of disturbance on the ground.  Natasha couldn’t help but smile as she pursued her own course.  Even after all these years she never failed to feel a hint of surprise at how different her friend was in the field.  The amiably lazy, sports and music-obsessed, country boy disappeared to be replaced by someone focussed, purposeful and dangerous.  Despite all her insight into the human character she still couldn’t be sure which one of those men was the real Clint Barton or if the truth of him lay somewhere else.

“There’s a maintenance track up ahead” he called “Looks like recent tire tracks”

They looked like they’d been made in the last couple of days, Natasha thought, still sharp in the mud and overlying the more weathered tracks made by maintenance vehicles.  A 4x4 they both reckoned, not possible to tell the make but they’d get a forensic team up to take a closer look.  Having located where the tracks ended, finding the footprints was child’s play for their experienced perceptions. 

“Two men, heavy set, between 5’11” and 6’2” judging by the stride” said Natasha “and… a child?”

The third set of footprints was much smaller, someone less than 4’6” by the looks of it.  They ended at a small ridge by a fallen tree.  Anyone standing there had a clear view of the road through the trees but would have been well screened from anything but the most intense scrutiny.

“A child…” she mused and then glanced at Clint “we should get Wanda up here to check it out before we call in forensics.”

It was why she was here, but Clint didn’t look too happy as they called for Wanda and Steve to head up.

“I don’t like it when she overtaxes herself” he said quietly “we still don’t know what effect it really has on her.”

“You’re not her father, Clint” Natasha winced as she saw the expression on Clint’s face, she hadn’t meant for it to sound like that.

“Someone has to look out for her, and Pietro.  They’re still just kids, Nat.”

“We can’t change what HYDRA did to them” she reminded him “and the more we know the better chance we have of helping them.”

Clint still looked dubious, this was an ongoing bone of contention between the friends. 

“I worry about them as much as you” Natasha sighed “But they’re not children and we can’t keep them wrapped in cotton wool…”

The possibility of yet another argument about the wellbeing of the Maximoff twins subsided as Wanda approached with Steve, both careful to avoid stepping on the tracks and contaminating potential evidence.

“There’s a clear image of the car, and both men” Wanda said at last “But the third one; that’s hidden, blurred somehow.  Like they’re being shielded…”

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts

“…They didn’t know who you were, I can tell that at least.  It was just a test…”

“That’s a relief, I think” said Steve, glad that his people hadn’t been deliberately targeted but still concerned at the idea of a controlled telepath in potentially hostile hands. “I’ll call in the forensic team and we’ll get back to the Compound.”

“I’m all right, honestly” Wanda said to Clint as they made their way back down the hill “It doesn’t drain me as much as it used to.”

“I worry about you Wanda” Clint pulled a power bar out of his pocket and handed it to her “You and Pietro”

“You really don’t have to” Wanda smiled gently as she unwrapped it “But thank you…”

###

Sam found Jesse sitting on the terrace overlooking the lake that formed part of the Compound’s campus.  Everyone had noticed the normally cheerful and outgoing young agent being a bit withdrawn and silent the last couple of days, spending most of his time in the gym or the pool working on his injured shoulder and ankle.  He sat down beside him and handed him a fresh beer.  The others were in the Common Room, having a loud and argumentative game of Trivial Pursuit.

“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay, ‘cause I can see you ain’t” he said

“It’s not the first time I been in a road accident” Jesse told him “Had a crash last year, a bad one; this just brought back a lot of memories, that’s all”

Sam said nothing but watched him quietly.  The kid seemed to be weighing up whether to say anything more.  No point pushing, he’d share if he felt ready.  After a while, Jesse spoke again

“My girlfriend, Megan, and I, we’d been out to dinner, it was our nine-year anniversary…”  He and Megan had dated since High School; just a couple of 15 year olds holding hands and stealing kisses.  As they’d grown so had their love, deepening and maturing as the young man and woman discovered themselves and each other. 

She’d just finished college and Jesse was about to start his final year at FieldOps Academy, lives and purposes beginning to take shape.  It was a ten-minute drive from the restaurant to her parents’ house, where Jesse was staying; where he was planning to propose marriage to her that evening, the engagement ring secure in his jacket pocket. 

“…the guy was drunk, hit us broadside.” Jesse took a deep, shaky breath, cradling the beer in his hands “I couldn’t keep control of the car; we went off the road, over and over down the hill…”

The beer bottle fell to the floor with a loud clunk as the young man started to cry silently, shoulders shaking as he buried his face in his hands.  Sam picked the bottle up and gently placed his arm around Jesse as he worked through the grief renewed and sharpened by his recent trauma.  Eventually he sat up, wiping his eyes and taking what was left of his beer back from Sam.

“…everyone says I shouldn’t blame myself, there was nothing I coulda done” he tapped his head “In here I know that’s true; but I can’t stop remembering that I was the one behind the wheel.  I walked away, Megan didn’t.”

They’d all been very kind; the Sheriff and her deputies, the crime scene investigators, everyone involved.  He hadn’t been drinking, well within the speed limit, an experienced competent driver with an excellent safety record; just plain bad luck he and Megan had been on the road at the same time as someone with half a litre of bourbon sloshing around in him.  Just plain bad luck he’d not been able to keep control of the car and come to, upside down with a bruised shoulder and a cut on his cheek, staring into Megan’s dead eyes.

Survivor’s guilt was the worst, Sam thought as he watched Jesse stare sadly out at the reflection of the lights in the lake; all those scenarios where a slightly different choice would make the difference between life and death for a loved one.  The kid had doubtless heard every word of comfort and exoneration that he needed and deserved to hear but none of it would make a difference to the sense of responsibility he’d always feel. 

“Life’s a fucking bitch at times, ain’t it?” he said at last

“Yeah” Jesse nodded, still staring into the night “a real fucking bitch”

###

“The test was a success, but I’m afraid we may have attracted some undesired attention” the younger of the two men sounded nervous, apologetic, “It appears that the motorcyclist we used as a target was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent associated with the Avengers Initiative.”

The older man raised an eyebrow but didn’t seem overly concerned.

“An unfortunate coincidence” he conceded “but not a significant setback, although we ought to consider precautions.”

He looked through the observation window at the fair-haired girl playing with her dolls.

“We don’t want any interruptions to our work at this critical stage.”

**Afternotes**

**Will the secret of the child and her keepers be discovered?  Once Strike Team Delta get on a case they rarely give up before the end.**

**In the next episode: - A routine shopping trip causes problems for Pietro while Jesse finds himself confronting something unexpected.**

 

 


	5. Mall Rats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mechanical failure causes an unexpected problem for Jesse and Pietro on a day out at the mall.  
> Jesse turns to his old friend Cassie for help with a new development in his life and Pietro gets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel Characters are based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are copyright to Marvel and Disney. Their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> Reviews and comments welcome

Pietro threw himself down on the couch beside his sister and huffed loudly.  Wanda continued reading her magazine and drinking her tea, apparently oblivious to his presence; he huffed again, slightly louder and with a theatrical drop of his shoulders.

“What is it, Piet?” she asked at last, idly turning the page

“I need new running shoes” he grumbled, lifting his foot to show her the worn treads on the ones he was wearing “These won’t last another day”

Wanda sighed, she knew where this was going

“Go over to the kit store” she suggested “They’ll have some in your size”

“I don’t like those ones” he said petulantly.  The standard S.H.I.E.L.D. issue running shoes never felt quite right; besides, they didn’t match the rest of his running kit.

“So, what’re you going to do?” she asked, turning another page as their familiar ritual played itself out.

Pietro leaned towards her with wheedling, puppy-dog eyes

“Wandaaaa…” he pleaded “go with me to the Mall tomorrow?”

“I Can’t” she replied emphatically “Darcy and I have a spa day tomorrow and you know that!”

Actually, anyone who’d been in earshot of the two young women for the past couple of weeks new that; and could probably give a fairly accurate summary of the day’s planned treatment and makeover sessions as well.

“We can go on Sunday” she offered, wishing that her brother would be a bit more confident in venturing out alone.  He was still prone to the intermittent anxiety attacks he’d suffered since the battle against Ultron and those could make him childishly dependent on her when it came to leaving the Compound. 

“They won’t last ‘till then” he retorted sulkily, a day without running would be like a day without breathing.  Wanda put down her magazine.

“I think Jesse’s free tomorrow, why don’t you ask him?”

Pietro’s expression brightened; he was so used to taking these trips with his sister. that option hadn’t occurred to him

“Ask me what?” Jesse was strolling in towards the kitchen area, still slightly breathless from his morning run.  Pietro twisted round on the couch to face him.

“You wanna come to the Mall with me tomorrow?” he asked, hopefully, as his friend rummaged in the fridge, emerging with a sealed plastic tumbler clearly marked ‘Jesse’s Breakfast Smoothie’. Unlabelled food tended to be treated as fair game, especially if there was a hungry Darcy around or when Scott and Clint had the munchies after one of those ‘walks in the woods’ than always made them a bit sleepy-eyed and giggly. “I need new running shoes”

“Yeah, okay!” Jesse said, there were a few things he could do with getting and a day out with Pietro sounded like fun, they’d not had much chance to hang out together recently. “Just gimme a shout when you want to leave.”

###

“Should I get a tattoo?” Pietro pondered aloud, looking at the photos of vividly coloured, elaborate inkwork the window of the tattoo parlour “I think I’d like one”

Jesse tossed a couple more yoghurt covered raisins into his mouth and offered the bag to Pietro who took a handful.

“I dunno” he said, chewing “think you could sit still long enough?”

Pietro mulled this over, that was a good point; then he grinned and held up the plastic bag containing his newly purchased shoes, indicating the Nike Swoosh

“Maybe a small one, like this?” he suggested.

Jesse nodded, that might work.  If the speedster could sit still through a Bugs Bunny cartoon he could manage the length of time that would take.  Then another thought struck him.

“What about the needles though?” he asked cautiously

Pietro frowned, needles were not his favourite things; not since List, von Strucker and the experiments that made him what he was.  Even Dr Banner taking a blood sample every three months had him jittery for days beforehand.

“Do you have one, Jesse?” he asked; maybe his friend would be able to tell him if it hurt much.

“You gotta be kidding, Momma would kill me!” Jesse laughed “She only found out about Frank’s last year and damn near went crazy at him”

He saw Pietro’s downcast expression and patted him on the shoulder

“Tell you what! He said “We take the plunge together; you get one, I get one.”

Pietro pondered this, it was a bargain to consider.  Maybe if it was a small tattoo and the needles weren’t too big…

“Another day!” he concluded “Let’s go look in the games store”

###

“Hell! I thought Darcy and Wanda were bad when they hit the shops” chuckled Jesse, looking at the collection of bags accumulated around their feet “I was only gonna get whey powder and a new phone charger…”

“Do you think Natasha and Clint will like these?” asked Pietro, examining the pair of NERF pistols.  It has been his idea to get presents for the whole team while they were out; jokey, novelty, stuff mostly, but Jesse had gone along with it enthusiastically. Folks still seemed a bit on edge after that incident with the unknown telepath a couple of weeks ago, and a bit of silly fun felt like just the thing they needed.

“They’re gonna love ‘em, everyone else is gonna kill us!” Jesse grinned, imagining the mayhem the two assassins were going to cause around the place with those.  He examined the ‘one size fits all’ Iron Man onesie “Dunno what Steve’s gonna say about this, though!”

His phone bleeped and he checked the message

“Natasha’s wondering when we’ll be back; it’s pizza, chips and dips tonight” he laughed “Must be Scott’s turn to make dinner!”

Pietro bit his lip nervously as the lift doors closed.  He didn’t like small enclosed spaces, really didn’t like them, but they had a lot of bags and it was five floors down to where they were parked; he’d be fine for the couple of minutes it took them to get there.

Halfway between Parking Levels 1 and 2 the lift shuddered and stopped

“Uh-oh!” said Jesse quietly and jabbed the button a couple of times without result then pressed the Emergency Call button.  A professionally apologetic voice assured him the engineer would be there shortly.  Jesse noticed the fearful look in Pietro’s eyes and the sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

“My buddy’s kinda claustrophobic, ma’am” he politely told the voice on the other side of the speaker “So if you could get him here as soon as possible I’d be real grateful.”

“I understand, sir…” came the disembodied reply “If you could try to keep your friend calm, I’ll make sure this is prioritised”

“Thank you very much, ma’am, I appreciate that!” No point in getting sharp at the lady, it weren’t her fault. He turned to Pietro and squeezed his shoulder “Help’s on its way Piet, don’t worry”

“I want to get out of here, Jesse” Pietro said quietly, he was visibly trembling and the sweat was running down his face “I want to get out of here now”

“I know, Piet… I’m sorry, we shoulda taken the stairs” he crouched down and unzipped his backpack “Think there’s still some of those raisins left it you…”

Something hit him in the back hard, slamming him face first into the brushed steel wall

“Piet, what the fu…” Jesse turned, Pietro was in the far corner of the elevator; hands pressed against the wall and staring wildly around.  A sudden flash of colour, a foot striking Jesse in the ribs, and he was in the other corner, breathing erratically.  Instinctively the young agent tried to ball himself up protectively but with the next flash he felt a blow on the side of his head, causing his ears to ring; and he saw blood on Pietro’s cheek.  He had to act fast or they were both gonna get badly hurt.

Judging his moment, he leapt forward grabbing Pietro round the waist and chest to try and bring him down.  The world blurred around him, metal impacting on his head, back and shoulders as the shorter man rebounded frantically around the tiny space.  Jesse tried to tangle his legs around Pietro’s, feeling heels hammering against his shins

_I’m gonna be one mess of bruises tomorrow_

Using his superior size and weight to his advantage, Jesse finally locked Pietro in a wrestling hold and got him on the floor.  The other man was still struggling and screaming desperately and Jesse could feel the strain on his shoulders and legs but he pinned him down as best he could; at least they weren’t cannoning against the walls at high speed now

“Piet… it’s okay… I’m with you… it’s Jesse… you’re gonna be alright…” he repeated constantly in Pietro’s ear “We’re gonna be out soon… you’re safe… I’m with you…”

Slowly the struggles began to subside and the incoherent yelling became a faint, frightened mumbling in what Jesse assumed was Sokovian.

“It’s okay, Piet…” he said again, softly “I’m with you, we’ll get you out of here soon”

“Sir...? Sir…?” The woman’s voice on the intercom sounded alarmed, they probably had CCTV in here and were freaking out at what they saw “Is everything all right?”

“My buddy’s having a panic attack” he called back “We’d really like that engineer soon if it’s ok?”

“He’s working on it just now, sir; only a few more minutes”

“Hear that, Piet?” he said encouragingly, holding the now trembling and crying Pietro close to him “Just gotta hang on a few more minutes and we’ll be out.”

He kept Pietro secure in the lock in case he threw another ‘episode’ and tried to ignore what his High School wrestling coach had explained as ‘a perfectly natural physiological reaction when two bodies are held in close contact for a prolonged period’.  Sure, it was; just not the kind of reaction he really wanted right now.

“You… you promise, Jesse?” stammered the tearful Pietro, turning his head to face him.

“I promise, Piet…” Jesse smiled; looking at his friend, secure in his arms, gazing up at him with a mixture of gratitude, hope and… well, there wasn’t really any other word for it, Love.  The smile still on his face, he began bending down towards the distressed young man, an unexpected instinct briefly taking over.  With a jump and shudder the lift suddenly started to move, calling him back to himself, and he straightened up with a sigh of relief.

“Told you…” he grinned, giving his still-shaking friend a hug.

###

“Jesus! What happened to you two?” exclaimed Scott in astonishment as the young men came limping into the Common Room.  Both had livid bruises starting to show on their faces and arms while Jesse had a bloody nose and Pietro a swollen cut on his cheek.

“We got stuck in a lift…” Jesse began, a bit feebly

“And what? Passed the time by starting your personal Fight Club?” asked Natasha in alarm, getting up to inspect Pietro’s face “You’re lucky Wanda isn’t’ home yet, she’d hit the ceiling.”

“I panicked” Pietro said quietly, feeling ashamed by what had happened “Jesse had to calm me down”

Natasha looked at the pair critically, alert for any deception.  The obvious conclusion was they’d been in a fight, either with each other or someone else, and resorting to the usual half-baked excuses dictated by the ‘Bro Code’; but the only thing she could detect was truth, exhaustion and embarrassment.

“Both of you get to medical and get checked out” Steve instructed

“But sir! It’s just a few bruise…” protested Jesse

“That’s an order, Agent!” You didn’t argue with Steve when he used the Captain voice…

…It was mainly just bruises; although Pietro had a fractured cheekbone, Jesse might have cracked a couple of ribs and his shins were scraped raw.  He took two of the painkillers the doctor gave him and settled down to sleep.  It was about 4am when he woke sharply from the dream, the very vivid dream in which he didn’t stop when the elevator started, with the evidence that there had been a ‘perfectly natural physiological reaction”

_What the fuck?_

###

“Well, Dr Sanders has a simple diagnosis for the patient.” Cassie took another couple of beers from the fridge and tossed one over to Jesse who caught it deftly in one hand “He’s got a terminal case of ‘In-Love-Itis’”

“Awww; be serious, Cass!” protested Jesse, “That sure as hell ain’t it”

“No?” she said, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against the desk and opened her bottle “I’ve never met the guy and yet I’ve got to know how he likes his smoothies, the colour of his eyes, what cartoons and music he likes, why he won’t eat eggplant, the things he does than make you laugh…”

She paused and smiled

“…all of which make me really want to meet him, by the way… oh, and that last Saturday you wanted to kiss him; may have had a sex dream about it, although you’re way too coy to admit that outright, and you’ve been obsessing about it all week.”

“Hell, it wasn’t like that…” he grumbled, then glared at Cassie’s expression “Don’t go giving me that look! You know I ain’t homophobic.  I was one of the groomsmen at Joe and Buddy’s wedding remember?”

Cassie nodded to herself.  That was true; Jesse was one of the most open-minded and accepting people she’d ever encountered.

“So, what was it like then?” she asked, in a carefully neutral tone.  Jesse stared down at the bottle in his hand, picking at the label with his thumbnail.

“You kinda had to be there” he said quietly, deep in thought “He was really scared, I mean… really freaking out being stuck in there… I thought he was gonna hurt himself bad.  I just wanted to make sure he knew he was safe… that I was there for him, I was gonna look after him and I lo…”

He looked up at his friend, realising what he’d been about to say and seeing that she’d heard it as well

“Dammit, Cass…” he moaned “Why you always gotta be right?”

“It’s the family curse” she said with a wry smile, sitting beside him on the bed and putting her arm around him “How’re you feeling?”

“Upside down and inside out…” he admitted, taking a long drink of his beer “…kinda like the way I felt when I realised I loved Megan.”

Cassie rested her head against Jesse’s shoulder and sat with him quietly for a long time.  When she’d been a freshman and first met the 2nd Year Cadet, she’d taken him for a typical FieldOps meathead; biceps bigger than his IQ and as much depth as a puddle of rainwater.  Two or three conversations and a growing friendship with Megan showed her that under the jockish exterior was a thoughtful, kind hearted, and introspective young man who saw, and felt, much more than people suspected.  She knew her friend’s thought processes well, he’d be deep inside himself; trying to come to terms with a truth she’d suspected since they first met but which he was only now beginning to consciously admit.

“What am I gonna do, Cass?” he asked, his eyes pleading and bewildered. She ran her hand through his hair fondly

“Telling him would be a good place to begin…” she said, gently “He sounds like a really nice guy and not the pushy type; then you can take it from there.”

###

Pietro was the only one around when Jesse got back to the compound.  Scott was away home, Bucky and Sam were over at the comms building on standby duty; Vision was off doing whatever Vision did, while the others were at the cinema for the evening. 

Pietro was in the TV lounge, watching his favourite cartoons and munching on pizza

“They asked me, but I can’t stay still for a whole movie” said Pietro; he seemed a bit grumpy, maybe put out that the rest of the team were off doing something he couldn’t really enjoy. “Wanna sit, watch some toons with me?”

“Sure thing!” said Jesse “I’ll just go grab us a couple of beers.”

Pietro watched his friend head out; Jesse had been a bit strange the last few days, not unfriendly but quiet and withdrawn.  He wondered if he’d done something to piss him off and he didn’t want to say, or if something else was wrong.  Maybe Jesse was just embarrassed that he’d got hard when he was holding him in the elevator. He was glad the others had gone to the movies, it gave him a plausible excuse to stay home and try to catch Jesse on his own.

He waited until Jesse was back with the beers and settled on the couch before saying anything.  Pietro turned to his friend

“Are we… are we still cool?” he asked carefully “Nothing’s wrong, is it?”

“Yea, Piet; we’re okay” Jesse assured him “Just been a funny kinda week, a lot on my mind…”

Pietro drank a little more beer, not entirely convinced by Jesse’s words.

“Wanna share?” he asked

Jesse took a deep breath.  Cassie was right, like she usually was, but this was a big step to take and he was scared as hell.  He emptied half his bottle in a couple of swallows

“Piet… there’s something I gotta say…” he could feel his voice starting to shake “Something I gotta tell you…”

Pietro looked at him anxiously, not sure what was coming but fearing the worst; maybe Jesse was sick, or being reassigned, or maybe he had done something that meant they couldn’t be friends any more.  He could feel his heart racing.

“Last… last Saturday, in the elevator just before it started again” Jesse put down his beer and summoned up his courage “I wanted to kiss you… I kinda wish I had.”

Pietro’s expression turned to astonishment.  When they first got to know each other, Jesse had told him firmly, but nicely, that he wasn’t gay but that made no difference to them being friends

“You wanted to kiss me…?” Jesse nodded and Pietro frowned slightly, not entirely sure what was happening here “… but I thought you weren’t interested in men? That’s what you told me.”

“I’m not… I’m not interested in men” Jesse stammered, his cheeks burning, this was every bit as tough as he feared and more “I’m interested in you… I think… I think I love you, Piet; I mean really love you…”

Pietro looked at him with a hint of suspicion; Jesse knew how much he cared about him, he wouldn’t be playing a cruel game, would he?

“Is this a joke?” he asked cautiously “because it would not be a very funny one if it was.”

“Awww, no Piet…” Jesse exclaimed earnestly “I wouldn’t do that to anyone, especially not you!  I… I… Awwwww, Dammit!”

He gave up on words, there weren’t any strong enough for what he wanted to say. Moving along the couch he took Pietro’s face in his hands and kissed him the way he’d wanted to in the elevator; gently at first, then with a deep passionate hunger, his arms slipping around the young Sokovian’s shoulders pulling him close.

Pietro’s eyes widened and he stiffened slightly in surprise before relaxing into the kiss; his arms around Jesse’s waist holding him tight.

It felt strange, Jesse thought, but a good kind of strange; the way the other man’s chest felt warm and firm against his, arms strong around his waist, the spicy, musky, smell of his skin, even the way his mouth tasted faintly of beer and pepperoni. At long last they broke from the kiss and he rested his forehead against Pietro’s; his body shaking, breath hoarse and irregular.

“Handsome Jesse!” gasped Pietro “You kiss good!”

“Piet…” Jesse began, his voice trembled and faltered.  He tried again “Piet… can we… can we take this real slow?  This is all kinda new to me and I’m a bit scared… I don’t want to rush and spoil things between us.”

Pietro kissed Jesse on the cheek and laid his head against the taller man’s shoulder.  He loved having this good-hearted, cheerful, man as his friend; the thought of having him as his lover was something he’d never believed could be possible.  He didn’t want to rush and spoil things either.

“I can go slow for you, Jesse” he said quietly “as slow as you want…”

An idea struck him and he looked up at his friend with a grin

“We can watch a movie together if you like?”

Jesse gave a surprised smile

“Thought you couldn’t sit still long enough for one?”

“I could” Pietro said shyly “If you held me…”

The couch was deep enough for the two young men to settle down together, Pietro lying back against Jesse

“Little spoon…” he chuckled, cuddling in and resting his head on the taller man’s chest while Jesse cued up the DVD with the remote. Pietro turned to look at him “Are you comfortable?”

Jesse looked down at Pietro’s eager, loving, face; quietly considering all the implications of the question.

“Yeah, Piet…” he said at last, bending down and kissing him on the forehead “really comfortable”

###

“Morning lovebirds!” Jesse’s eyes flickered open to see Darcy beaming down at him.  Pietro was still snuggled up close and peacefully asleep.  During the night, someone had thoughtfully placed a quilt over the two men “Clint says to tell you coffee’s brewing and _Mazel Tov_.”

Jesse grinned and shook Pietro awake; the other man reacted with initial surprise, then a wide smile when he saw Darcy.  He turned and kissed Jesse on the tip of the nose

“I don’t think we have to worry about how to let the others know.” he laughed.

 


	6. Avenging Angels Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor’s latest enthusiasm sparks a lot of amusement and plenty of double-entendres amongst the team, but his hot-headed impatience risks alienating the man he’s trying to befriend.  
> A novel solution presents itself, and provides some of the team with a new outlet for their energies; but how will it all end up? Part one of two, or possibly three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel Characters are based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are copyright to Marvel and Disney. Their use here is for purely non-commercial entertainment purposes.  
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Slight profanity and plenty of bad jokes.  
> Reviews and comments welcome

“Jesus, Piet…!!!” Jesse yelped as he woke with a start “You keep them hands in the freezer overnight?”

“Maybe” chuckled his lover, kissing him on the tip of his nose “You told me to wake you early; you did not specify how.”

“Yeah, well I was kinda thinking maybe a cup of coffee or a snuggle” grumbled Jesse “not ten icicles round my junk!”

Pietro grinned, with a wicked glint in his eye

“Well, my hands are nice and warm now” he said, slipping them back under the covers “Perhaps we could still ‘snuggle’ before you have to get up”

Jesse laughed and looked at the clock

“Okay, ten…” he saw the expression on Pietro’s face and smiled “Fine… twenty minutes; then I have to get up and get started.”

He put his arms around the speedster and pulled him in for a proper good morning kiss…

###

…Mornings sure were the best time to work on the bike, thought Jesse, as he lay on his back tinkering with the engine.  The air was clear and fresh, his mind sharp and, best of all, no interrup…

“Good Morning, Friend Jesse!” boomed a familiar voice out of nowhere, Jesse jumped, smacking his forehead off the exhaust pipe

“Shi… I mean, mornin’ Thor!”

Jesse pushed himself out from under the bike to see the grinning Asgardian perched on the wall, in running gear.  Clint had got him turned on to free-running and Thor had taken to it with the enthusiasm he invested in any novel Midgardian activity.

“Could you tell me how this vehicle of yours operates?” Thor asked, scratching his beard “I have seen the Captain and the Falcon riding similar ones but they never have the time to explain.”

Thor was not much good at small talk, and there had been little chance to speak to the young Agent since he had re-joined the other Avengers at their Compound. He had heard that he was a good warrior, and courageously defended Clint and Laura’s children from an assault on their home.  This seemed like a man he wished to be friends with and enquiring about the machine he rode an appropriate way to begin conversation.

Jesse wiped his hands on a rag and took a swig of his, now tepid, coffee as Thor waited with an expectant look on his face.  He’d rather be getting on with tuning the engine and taking her out for a spin, but the Big Guy was trying to be friendly and giving him the brush-off would just be plain rude. 

_Okay, where to begin…?_

The technical details meant little to Thor, but he liked what Jesse said about how such a vehicle handled and the way it related to its rider; making it sound more akin to riding a horse.  Jane had been strongly suggesting for some time that, if he were planning to spend more time in Midgard, he should learn to drive.  Thor didn’t like cars, too enclosed and restrictive, but this seemed like the kind of machine worthy of his interest. 

“May I try?” he asked with an air of hopeful expectancy.  It could surely not be too difficult?

Jesse gritted his teeth.  He wouldn’t let another experienced rider take his baby out for a spin, but there had to be a way to let Thor down gently.  The guy seemed really keen.

“Welll!” he said, carefully “It kinda takes a while to learn, but I can give you a pillion ride if you fancy a taste of what it feels like”

Thor looked at him questioningly, Jesse explained this would involve him riding behind him as a passenger.  He beamed, and nodded with excitement

“Now?”

Jesse sighed quietly.  Maybe it was his upbringing, but Thor could be pretty demanding when it came to things he wanted.  At the moment, all Jesse wanted was a fresh coffee and to hit the road for a couple of hours. 

“You might wanna change into something more durable” he said, indicating the sweatpants and singlet Thor was currently wearing. “and I’ll dig out a spare helmet.  Meet me back here in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, my friend!” Thor jumped down of the wall and pumped Jesse’s hand gratefully “I will enjoy this ‘Pillion Ride’”

Jesse was finishing his coffee and zipping up his biker jacket as Thor came jogging back.  He raised his eyebrows and nodded, smiling; Asgardian battle armour probably would provide pretty good protection against Road Rash. 

“Will this suffice to protect my head?” Thor enquired, holding out a shining helm with an elaborate design of wings chased into the sides.

“Guess it’s done a pretty good job so far, Big T” laughed Jesse, realising this was going to be fun “Hop on and let’s give it a go.”

After a couple of practise runs on the perimeter track, it was clear Thor was a natural when it came to leaning into the movement of the bike and Jesse felt confident in taking him out on the road.

Sam was a quarter of the way into his morning run as he heard the familiar roar of Jesse’s bike behind him and pulled in closer to the side, grinning.  That kid sure did enjoy his Sunday morning spin!  As the noise got closer he became aware of another sound interlacing with it

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!”

Sam doubled up laughing as he watched the pair of them go racing past.  One thing about this place, you could guarantee an armoured thunder-god gleefully hollering on the back of a motorbike wasn’t the strangest thing you were likely to see in a day!

###

"You better watch Roadrunner doesn't get jealous..." chortled Tony, reaching for another bagel

"Why would he become jealous?" asked Thor, forking half a pig's-worth of bacon into his mouth; muffling his next words "Does Jesse not let Pietro ride behind him?"

"Never asked for that much detail…" grinned Tony, ignoring Natasha's reproachful glance "You do know they're 'friends' don't you?"

"Yes, they are very good friends" Thor replied, nodding "I am glad of it; Pietro needs a companion of his own age"

"No, I mean 'special friends'" Tony physically added the quotation marks with his fingers. The joke was becoming harder work by the second and he was sure he could hear Pigeon giggling behind the cover of his paper

"Yes, they are bed-mates. That concept is not unknown to me" Thor piled more pancakes and bacon onto his place, looking questioningly at Tony "So why should Pietro be jealous? Jesse and I are not having sex, nor do we wish to"

Tony stared at the Asgardian as he poured half a bottle of maple syrup over the mound of food in front of him

"Goldilocks" he asked eventually "are you really this dense, or are you actually making fun of me?"

"Yes" Thor replied, with a broad grin, returning his attention to the motorcycle magazine Jesse had loaned him.  As the others went about their routine breakfast chatter, no one noticed the sudden gleam in his eyes as he turned a page.

###

"Guys! Come to the parking lot!" A gleeful faced Scott stuck his head through the doors of the common room "You gotta see this!"

'This' turned out to be a gleaming, brand new, scarlet and chrome Harley Davidson motorcycle being unloaded in the presence of a beaming Thor 

"My friends!" he called joyfully to the assembled team "Is this not superb?"

"It's incredible, Thor!" Darcy called back, then hissed to Jesse from behind her grin "Jane. Is Going. To Kill You!"

Clint patted Jesse on the shoulder, chuckling 

"Remember the rules, kid! Introduce Thor to a new concept and you have to deal with the consequences!"

"Jesse!" boomed Thor, beckoning to his friend "Do you think you could help me ride this magnificent beast?"

_Oh Hell!_

"I'm sure..." Tony bit his lip to stop himself laughing, this was perfect; like some good genie was giving him a decade’s worth of early birthdays and Christmases.  His eyes twinkled mischievously "I'm sure it’s not the fastest thing Jesse’s had beneath him recently!"

Steve tried to throw Tony a disapproving look even he couldn’t resist the humour of the situation and the corners of his mouth started to twitch.  Darcy giggled helplessly as she reached for her phone to capture this moment for eternity

"Okay Thor" Jesse sighed inwardly but kept a broad smile on his face as he headed down the steps "Let's take a look at her"

"Will it take long?" the Asgardian asked eagerly, looking down at the luridly worded brochure in his hand "I want to 'open up and feel the raw power'"

Jesse could feel his face burning red and, amidst the general hilarity behind him, hear the unmistakable snorting of Clint's laughter 

"Oh.... God... Nat..." the archer gasped between howls "I think... I hurt... something..."

Pietro slipped his arms round Jesse’s waist from behind and rested his chin on his boyfriends shoulder

“Can I feel the raw power too?” he asked, grinning.  Thor smile widened, unsure of exactly why everyone seemed to find this all so funny, but glad that they shared his delight in this new steed.

“Of course, Pietro!” he laughed, turning to Jesse “When you have shown me how, the three of us must ride together.”

If there was any justice in the world, Jesse thought to himself, a rogue asteroid would hit him; Right. About. Now...

###

“When can we go out on the road?” Thor sounded grumpy and petulant; he waved a beefy hand in the direction of the Vehicular Training practise ground “I grow tired of this children’s game!”

That was it!  Jesse yanked his helmet off and tucked it under his arm.  It was only the second day of training and Thor had been, well, a whiny brat all morning. His patience was finally at an end

“Look, Thor! This ain’t a goddam toy, y’understand?” he yelled, gesturing at the Harley-Davidson “You come off that at speed, even you’re gonna take a bad crack; as for anyone else in the way…”

Thor’s draw dropped at the young Agent’s outburst.  Jesse had a reputation as a good-natured young man and he could not recall anyone see him lose his temper before. 

“Steve told me to train you and I sure as hell ain’t letting you anywhere near the road until I think it’s safe for you and everyone else!” He jabbed Thor in the chest with his finger, face flushed with anger and frustration, the Asgardian was bigger in build but he and Jesse were of a height; together they made an intimidating pair “So if you’re not happy with that then I guess we’re done here.”

Jesse turned away with an exasperated exclamation, running his hand through his hair and breathing heavily.  Thor stared at him, speechless with astonishment, as he took another deep breath; bringing his temper back under control

“Thor… I didn’t mean to blow up at you like that” Jesse said eventually, still facing away.  Thor had the sudden intuition that the young man was crying, and with a pang of guilt he remembered being told that Jesse’s girlfriend had been killed by a careless driver. “It’s just… It’s just road safety’s kind of a big thing for me, y’know? I… I don’t like the idea you ain’t taking this seriously.”

“Jesse! Please, forgive me…” Thor was genuinely repentant.  “I asked you to be my teacher and I have not respected that… please, I will take this very seriously.  I will wait until you tell me I am ready…”

He placed a friendly hand on Jesse’s shoulder and the agent heaved a deep sigh, patting Thor’s hand.

“We’re cool, Big T” he assured him, looking round slightly.  Thor could see the hint of redness round his friend’s eyes “Let’s pick this up tomorrow, okay? I got some stuff to do this afternoon.”

Jesse didn’t, they both knew that; but Thor also knew that his impatience and ill-manners had upset his new friend deeply.  Thor nodded understandingly

“I will pay better heed tomorrow, Jesse. I promise. I am sorry I upset you…”

###

“So!” asked Scott, opening a jar of mayonnaise and dolloping a spoonful onto his sandwich “How’d ya piss off Jesse?”

Thor looked up from the large plate of fries he was idly picking at.

“Why do you think I have?” he asked cautiously.  Jesse had said nothing, he knew that, and he had kept very quiet about so carelessly upsetting his friend.  Scott grinned

“Sherlock Lang applied a bit of deductive reasoning!” he added some more bacon and lettuce and pressed the top slice of bread down firmly “Jesse’s been in the gym not speaking to anyone all afternoon, he only does that when he’s upset. He was fine at breakfast and with you all morning; therefore, the likelihood is you said or did something that pissed him off big time.”

He bit triumphantly into his snack and munched away.  Thor sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“I was stupid and impatient at the practise ground this morning” he admitted “Jesse thought I was not taking it seriously and it angered him.  He thinks I am reckless, perhaps I am.”

“Two things you gotta remember about Jesse” said Scott, taking another bite “Don’t mess with his breakfast smoothie, and don’t even think about fucking around where road safety’s concerned!”

Perhaps we ought to add those to The List he thought; the fridge door held an ever-growing list of, mainly light-hearted house rules.  Joint No.1 were

**‘Except in case of imminent world-ending event DO NOT attempt to speak to Clint before his morning coffee’**

And

**‘DO NOT, under ANY circumstances WHATSOEVER, touch the cranberry frozen yoghurt (there’s a reason Nat only buys it four days a month! SR)’**

“Do you think anyone else has noticed?” Thor asked, nervously. If Scott had worked it out, then probably…

There was a familiar blue-silver flash and the doors rattled; Thor looked down at the empty space on the counter where his food had been then up to see Pietro staring at him through the window, holding the still full plate.  The young man ostentatiously crammed a large handful of fries into his mouth and casually flipped his middle finger up at Thor. 

“Maybe…” shrugged Scott, and took another bite of his sandwich. Thor dropped his head to the counter with a deep groan. He'd just wanted to make friends with Jesse and instead had spent a great deal of Midgardian money on a vehicle he wasn't sure he could learn how to use and managed to upset both the man he wanted to befriend and his boyfriend; he'd also been really looking forward to those fries!

Perhaps he was an idiot after all 

###

Jesse lay back on the weight bench to catch his breath, muscles burning from the intensity of the last workout.  That should do it for the day, he should cool down, grab a shower; then maybe apologise to Piet for being such a mopey dick and the two of them could go out and grab a burger.

“Jesse! May I speak with you?” Thor’s voice echoed in the empty gym

_Shit_

Jesse sat up on the bench

“Hey Thor, maybe not now, okay?” he said wearily “I just wanna shower and…”

“I was churlish and spoke ill to you this morning” Thor interrupted “and I think perhaps you are right, I am not prepared for the responsibility of such a machine.”

Jesse sighed; short of saying ‘Shut up and go away’, which would just be plain rude, it was clear that the Asgardian wouldn’t budge until he’d said his piece.

“Maybe you shoulda thought of that before spending $30,000 on one!” Jesse shook his head “Darcy’s right; Jane is gonna kill me, then you. Do you think she’ll kick us both through a Portal into nowhere or just beat us to death with a mass spectrometer?”

“Portal” said Thor glumly “The other thing sounds unwieldy and expensive.”

Jesse looked up, then grinned slightly when he saw the glint in Thor’s eye

“Was that a joke?” He laughed and made room on the bench for the Demigod to sit down, if he couldn’t shake the guy then they might as well try to fix things “C’mon, let’s figure some way that’ll save both our asses…”

###

A bike club?" said Steve, sounding surprised but not dismissive 

"Mmmm, I like that idea" Natasha bit into a strawberry and winked at her husband "Always wondered what it would be like to be a biker chick"

"Oookayyy!" exclaimed Tony "Before we find out more than any of us want to know about Cap and Widow's private fantasies, I'd just like to say I second the motion"

"We have got four bikers on the team" mused Bucky quietly over his coffee "Five if you count Thor..."

"...and Clint's got that big purple mid-life crisis Laura keeps telling him to use or lose" Tony added.

Darcy looked up from chuckling over an article in Scientific American 

"We are still talking about bikes, aren't we?"

"Hey!" protested an aggrieved Clint, glaring at the young intern 

"Plus, it means we can buddy Thor on the road while he gets to grips with live riding, and try to keep him out of trouble" interjected Jesse, sensing the conversation derailing into the usual morning bicker party "and I reckon it'll be fun."

"I think you should too" said Wanda, getting some more apple juice from the fridge "You could call yourselves 'Avenging Angels'"

A broad grin spread across Clint's face, the idea had seemed a bit lame at first, but now!

"C'mon guys! With a name like that we got no choice"

"Great" said Wanda with a wicked little smile "Now Piet can be a biker chick too!"

"Thank you, Glynda, for giving me that mental image while I'm sober" sighed Tony as Wanda ducked the bagel her brother aimed at her. 

"Hell, Wanda" laughed Jesse, anticipating the expression on Tony's face "Who say's Piet's the chick?"

Well, Jesse thought as the usual morning anarchy reasserted itself, he'd kinda got them thinking about it and that was a start.  Avenging Angels? Might just work…

**In Part 2; the Avenging Angels hit the road and find out that keeping Thor out of trouble is never quite as simple as it seems.**


End file.
